Residency Program Overview

Mission Statement

The Department of Medicine will educate and train Internal Medicine residents to be knowledgeable, skillful and professional in the art and science of medicine.

The Department of Medicine and the residency program recognize education as one of three vital missions of this Medical Center, along with patient care and research.

We will work to achieve the goal of superior resident training in Internal Medicine, as evidenced by faculty evaluations, superior patient care and competence in Internal Medicine certification (the ABIM exam).

The promotion of future academicians is vital to the maintenance of excellence in the profession of medicine. We will strive toward a goal of educating and training future world class practicing physicians, researchers and educators who will maintain the ideals and commitment to excellence of this department, the Medical Center and Georgetown University.Based upon the educational mission of the Department of Medicine, the internal medicine residency has designed the curriculum for the purpose of training residents for future careers in internal medicine.

The Internal Medicine residency consists of the following academic structure and design:

Educational leadership, including

Chairman – to support and oversee all the missions of the department

Vice-chair for education – to oversee all educational endeavors within the department, including resident, student and fellow education

Internal medicine program director and associate program directors

Fellowship directors

Chief residents

Administrative staff

These individuals work together to achieve the mission as outlined herein, to meet the requirements of the ACGME, to monitor developments within the residency program and to proactively make programmatic changes necessary to maintain the highest standards of academic excellence.

Curriculum

A defined curriculum, as specified by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), is available to all residents, and includes those specific areas of knowledge, skills and behaviors which are inherent to the practice of internal medicine and necessary for academic excellence. The department and the residency are responsible for continuous review and modification of the curriculum to meet the changing field of medicine. The curriculum will be administered to train residents in the ACGME’s six general competencies, namely, patient care, medical knowledge, practice-based learning and improvement, interpersonal and communication skills, professionalism, and systems-based practice.

Formal Evaluative Process

The residency provides both formative evaluation (feedback) to each resident on a regular basis, for the purpose of reviewing and improving performance to date. In addition, there is a summative evaluation, prepared by the program director, at the conclusion of the residency for each resident. These types of evaluation must meet the criteria as outlined by the ACGME.

Programmatic Evaluation

The residency maintains open communication between the residents and the administration for the purpose of reviewing programmatic problems as well as programmatic excellence. There is a formal process for residents to both document these issues in writing as well as openly discuss these issues with the departmental leadership for the explicit purpose of making necessary improvements to the academic program. In addition, the department keeps a record of each item discussed, including an expected timeline for when action will be taken and what improvements have been made to remedy the situation. This documentation is readily available to the department leadership as well as each resident.

Mentorship

The Department has a specific format for resident mentorship, to include career guidance, academic guidance and regular performance reviews. There are avenues for career development and assistance for residents pursuing fellowship training, research, and/or careers in clinical practice and academics.

Research

A formal research curriculum, required of all residents, has been designed to foster competence in basic science and/or clinical research as well as help advance and guide those residents interested in careers in research. Our associate program director for research is responsible for coordinating and monitoring the research opportunities within the residency, including helping mentor or finding research mentors for residents participating in scholarly activity.